This hotel is in old town inside the walls. Only small cars can drive there as the cobblestone…read morestreets are narrow. If you arrive in a large car or bus you park below and walk up. View from the public spaces - check-in area, terrace and dining room is fantastic but our room - 202 - in the building opposite registration is on street level with tiny windows and of course no view just looking at the other building across a narrow street. Being on the first floor makes the room dark as well. Ceilings are not high although ok. Room is a good size however, with enough space for yoga. Bathroom has some decorative tiles but not tiled in the bathtub with a handheld shower. Bed is high and firm. Windows have blackout wooden shutters. No coffee tea making facilities in room but small fridge. Only one night table and one chair. Shower is just a handheld but with good water pressure. Floor is tiled with area rug. Light in closet doesn't go off but you can close the room door or use as night light. Things are clean, the room is painted all white with wood framing. Room got a bit cold - heat didn't work much first day but there are many more quilts in the closet which we used. WiFi doesn't work well, keeps dropping during the day. Standard continental breakfast. Short walk to the Marvao castle. Being in old town means there are not much around in terms of shopping although there are some restaurants.

This is actually a quaint little restaurant and hotel at entrance of town. We were pleased with…read moreboth. It's run by a couple who are local The rooms are very nice

This is not a hipster digital nomad hostel. If you want fast, reliable wifi and design magazine…read moreinspired decor, this is not the place for you. Yes, there's wifi and it works. I wouldn't want to rely on it if I had an important meeting or deadline. I had a lovely time staying here. The building is charming and quite typical of older homes in the area. It very much feels like someone's grandparents moved out and they added some IKEA to the existing furniture. The rooms are bright and, unlike many hostels, don't feel cramped. The bedding seemed new. Towels and soap were provided. The rooms don't have lockers, or at least the dorm I stayed in didn't. There is a charming outdoor space that I sadly didn't get a chance to use, since it was raining the whole time I was there. The man who runs the hostel, Jose, is every bit as nice as people say. He doesn't do text or whatsapp, so you need to call if you want to confirm your arrival time and when you actually arrive in order to check in. He was very helpful and made sure I saw the hostel facilities and was okay with everything before he checked me in. He was happy to tell me what to do in Portalegre, warn me that the cathedral is being refurbished, and answer any questions I had. Portalegre is small enough that it's hard to not be central. Still, the hostel is five minutes from all of Portalegre's main attractions. It's a 10 minute walk from the bus station. The hostel is right off a pedestrian street and there's a cute bar directly across from the entrance. The hostel provides bread, butter, cheese slices, jam, milk, and cereal for breakfast. There's also coffee and tea. Breakfast in Portugal is not like an American breakfast, so this seems appropriate. The kitchen is set up pretty well so you can cook your own meals. There's a small grocery store right nearby and, of course, many cafes. The perk of it being the off-season is that I had a dorm room to myself. That meant I had control of the heater, too. As the bathrooms are gendered, I was the only one using the women's bathroom. The con of it being the off-season is that things were especially time worn. It's been an exceptionally damp winter and that was apparent with the water marks, crumbling plaster, and moldy ceilings. They're in the process of cleaning things up, so by the time you stay here things will probably be fresh and clean again. They're replastering and repainting the rooms one at a time. While the damp winter has taken its toll, everything is clean. It's clear everything is swept and wiped down regularly. The other thing about coming here in the high season is there would be other people to distract you from the plaster. It was so quiet I ended up eating breakfast alone, giving me ample time to evaluate the state of things.